4.
The Great Chapter
1-2.
Commentary on the Discourse on Progressive Abidings and So On
32-33. In the first of the fourth, "progressive abidings" means abidings to be entered upon in succession. In the second, "where sensual pleasures cease" means in what place sensual pleasures are appeased. "Having ceased" means having made irreversible. "Without hunger" means without hunger due to the absence of hunger for craving and wrong views. "Quenched" means quenched due to the absence of defilements that torment oneself. "Crossed over" means crossed over from sensual pleasures. "Gone beyond" means gone beyond sensual pleasures. "By that factor" means by that meditative absorption factor. "Here sensual pleasures cease" means here, in the first meditative absorption, sensual pleasures cease. "And those" means those who attain the first meditative absorption, they are said to dwell having ceased sensual pleasures again and again. "With joined palms" means having raised up joined palms. "Should attend upon" means should cause to attend. By this method the meaning should be understood everywhere.
3.
Commentary on the Discourse on the Happiness of Nibbāna
34. In the third, "Udāyī" means the Elder Lāḷudāyī. "Just this here indeed" means just this indeed here. "Accompanied by sensuality" means dependent on sensuality. "Occur to him" means they move through the mind-door. "For affliction" means for afflicting, for oppressing. "By way of exposition" means by reason. Thus the meaning should be understood in all instances. In this discourse, what is called bliss without feeling has been spoken of.
4.
Commentary on the Discourse on the Simile of the Cow
35. In the fourth, "mountain" means one who walks on mountains. "Not having firmly placed" means not having placed it in such a way that it is firmly established. "That sign" means that sign called the first meditative absorption. "Does not firmly determine" means does not determine it in such a way that it is well determined. "Without forcing" means without pressing, without vexing. "The mind becomes soft and wieldy" means just as the insight consciousness at the moment of the supramundane path becomes soft, fit for work, suitable for work, so his consciousness of the fourth meditative absorption that serves as the foundation for direct knowledge becomes soft and wieldy. "Limitless concentration" means the concentration of the four divine abidings and the concentration of the path and fruition are called limitless concentration. Here, however, by the method "limitless, with a limitless object," well-practised concentration should be seen as limitless concentration. "With limitless concentration well developed" means at this point this monk, having developed insight, attained arahantship. Now, showing the succession of direct knowledges of one who has eliminated the mental corruptions, he said beginning with "towards whatever."
5.
Commentary on the Discourse on Meditative Absorption
36. In the fifth, "elimination of mental corruptions" means arahantship. "Whatever is there pertaining to matter" means whatever matter occurs in that moment of the first meditative absorption by way of the sense-base or by way of that originating from consciousness and so on. "Pertaining to feeling" and so on should be understood by way of the associated feeling and so on. "Those mental states" means those five-aggregate mental states beginning with matter. In the terms beginning with "as impermanent": as impermanent by way of non-existence after having been; as suffering by way of oppression; as a disease by way of afflicting; as a boil in the meaning of corrupting within; as a dart in the meaning of having penetrated and in the meaning of piercing; as misery in the meaning of suffering; as an affliction in the meaning of afflicting; as alien in the meaning of not being one's own; as disintegrating in the meaning of crumbling; as empty in the meaning of having no owner; as non-self in the meaning of not being subject to control. "Regards" means he sees with the wisdom of powerful insight.
"From those mental states" means from those five-aggregate mental states. "Turns away" means he turns back by way of Nibbāna. "On the deathless element" means on the element of Nibbāna. "Focuses the mind" means having seen the benefit with knowledge, he lowers it down. "Peaceful" means peaceful by the continuity of the opposite. "Sublime" means unsurpassable. "He, steady in that, attains the elimination of mental corruptions" means he, steady in that first meditative absorption, having developed that powerful insight, attains arahantship. Another method - "He from those mental states" means because in the terms beginning with "as impermanent," by the two terms "as impermanent" and "as disintegrating," the characteristic of impermanence is stated; by the six beginning with "as suffering," the characteristic of suffering; by the three "as alien, as empty, as non-self," the characteristic of non-self. Therefore he, from those five-aggregate mental states within the attainment that have been seen by having thus applied the three characteristics. "Turns away the mind" means he withdraws the mind, releases it, removes it. "Focuses" means first, the insight consciousness focuses on the unconditioned, deathless element by way of hearing, by way of praise, by way of the Scriptures, and by way of description, thus: "This is peaceful, Nibbāna." The path consciousness does not speak thus: "This is peaceful, this is sublime" merely by way of making Nibbāna its object. But the meaning is that penetrating it in this manner, one focuses the mind there.
"He, steady in that" means steady by that insight which has the three characteristics as its object. "Attains the elimination of mental corruptions" means he attains arahantship by developing the four paths in due order. "By that very lust for mental states" means by desire and lust for the mental states of serenity and insight meditation. "By delight in mental states" is a synonym for that very thing. For one who is able to utterly consume desire and lust regarding serenity and insight meditation attains arahantship; one who is unable becomes a non-returner.
"On a straw figure" means on a straw-stuffed figure or. "One who shoots far" means one who makes arrows fall at a distance. "One who shoots as quickly as lightning" means one who shoots without missing. "Whatever is there pertaining to feeling" - here matter is not included. Why? Because it has been transcended. For this one, having below attained the fine-material-sphere meditative absorption and having transcended matter, has attained the immaterial-sphere attainment - thus matter has been transcended even by means of serenity; and having below contemplated matter and having gone beyond it, now contemplates the immaterial - thus matter has been transcended even by means of insight. Moreover, in the immaterial state there is altogether no matter at all - with reference to that too, matter is not included. Then why was the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception not included? Because of subtlety. For therein the four immaterial aggregates too are subtle and not accessible to exploration. Therefore he said - "Thus indeed, monks, as far as attainment with perception extends, so far extends the penetration of final knowledge." This is what is meant - As far as there is an attainment with consciousness, so far, for one exploring gross mental states, there is penetration of final knowledge, arahantship is achieved. But the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, because of subtlety, is not called an attainment with perception. "By meditators" means by meditators who delight in meditative absorption, these. "Having emerged" means having emerged from that attainment. "Are to be rightly declared" means are to be properly declared, are to be simply told, praised, and described as "peaceful and sublime."
6.
Commentary on the Ānanda Sutta
37. In the sixth, "confinement" means the confinement of the five types of sensual pleasure. "Achievement of opportunity" means the achievement of opportunity. "For the purification of beings" means for the purpose of reaching the purification of beings. "For the transcendence" means for the purpose of transcending. "For the passing away" means for the purpose of passing away. "For the achievement of the true method" means for the purpose of achieving the path together with insight. "For the realisation of Nibbāna" means for the purpose of making evident the unconditioned Nibbāna. "That same eye will be there" means that very same sensitivity-eye will be there intact. "Those forms" means that very same visual object will come into range. "Yet one does not experience that sense base" means one will not know that visible form sense base. The same method applies in the remaining ones too.
"Udāyī" means the Elder Kāḷudāyī. "Is it one with perception" means is it indeed one with consciousness. The syllable "ma" is merely a word-connection. "With what perception" means having become one with perception of which perception. "With the complete transcendence of perceptions of material form" - why did he take this up? Is there experience of material form and so on for one possessed of the first meditative absorption and so on? There is not; but as long as the kasiṇa form is the object, so long matter is not called transcended. Because of not being transcended, it is able to become a condition. But because of being transcended, that is called nonexistent; he took up this very thing to show that due to nonexistence it cannot become a condition.
"Jaṭilavāsikā" means a woman dwelling in the city of Jaṭila. In "neither bent forward" and so on, not bent forward through the influence of lust, not bent backward through the influence of hate. "Not reached by forceful suppression and restraint" means standing firm having suppressed and obstructed the mental defilements through exertion, with effort; but having arisen when the mental defilements have been cut off. "Stable because of being liberated" means stable precisely because of being liberated from the mental defilements. "Content because of being stable" means having become one called content precisely because of being stable. "Because of being content is not agitated" means precisely because of being content, does not fall into agitation. "This concentration, Venerable Ānanda, what fruit" - by this, this elder nun, just as one taking a palmyra fruit and asking "What fruit is this fruit called?", having taken the concentration of the fruition of arahantship, asks "This concentration, Venerable Ānanda, what fruit has it been declared by the Blessed One?" "Has been declared to have final knowledge as its fruit" - final knowledge is called arahantship; the meaning is that this has been declared by the Blessed One as the concentration of the fruition of arahantship. "Even with such perception" means even one with perception of this perception of the fruition of arahantship does not experience that sense base - thus in this discourse the concentration of the fruition of arahantship has been spoken of.
7.
Commentary on the Lokāyatika Discourse
38. In the seventh, "holders of the view of nature-lore" means those who advocate worldly knowledge. "Constantly" means always. "Continuously" means without interruption. "Let this be" means let this be, do not bring this up, what use is this to you. "I will teach you the Teaching, brahmins" means I will teach you the Teaching of the four truths.
"One with a strong bow" means one standing having taken up a strong bow. "An archer" means a bowman. A strong bow is called one of two-thousand strength. One of two-thousand strength means one which, when strung, with a load of iron-tipped arrows and so on bound to the bowstring, held by the shaft, releases from the ground when raised to the measure of an arrow's length. "Trained" means one who has learnt the craft at a teacher's household for ten or twelve years. "Practised" - someone merely learns the craft; he is not practised. But this one who is practised has the state of mastery through practice. "Experienced" means one who has displayed his craft in the royal court and so on. "With a light arrow" means with a lightweight arrow made hollow inside, filled with cotton and so on, with a preparation of lac applied. For one made thus, one that normally travels one usabha travels even two usabhas, etc. One that normally travels eight usabhas travels even sixteen usabhas. "With little difficulty" means without pain. "Could shoot across" means could pass beyond. This is what is meant - Just as that archer swiftly passes beyond that shadow of a span and four finger-breadths, so he is endowed with speed capable of passing beyond the entire world-circle very quickly. "Running back and forth" means by running on foot. "Said thus" means they speak thus.
8.
Commentary on the Discourse on the Battle of the Gods and Titans
39. In the eighth, "was fully engaged" means was present. "We would fight a battle" means we would make a battle, we would make war. "Fled" means ran away. "Facing northward" means having turned northward. "Are indeed pursuing" means are indeed following. "Having reached a refuge for the fearful" means having gone to a support that wards off the fear of the fearful. "Not to be overcome" means nothing can be done to them by battle. But why is there a battle between them? For the titans were formerly dwellers in Tāvatiṃsa; they, at the time of the flowering of the Variegated Trumpet-flower, remember the divine coral tree flower. Thereupon, with anger arisen, saying "Seize the gods," they ascend Sineru in every direction face to face, and the gods also come forth. Their battle is like that of cowherd boys striking one another with sticks. Sakka, the king of gods, having established protection at five places below, having surrounded the city of the gods above, had images resembling himself with thunderbolt in hand placed. The titans, having overcome the five places below, having ascended, seeing the images of Inda, having turned back, go to the city of the titans.
"Facing southward" means having turned southward. "Having destroyed his track" means having destroyed it without footprint, without remainder. "Gone beyond the sight" means Māra knows the mind of one who has attained the fourth meditative absorption of the fine-material-sphere having made it a basis for the round of rebirths, and he knows the mind of one who has attained that very same having made it a basis for insight. But whether the immaterial-sphere meditative attainment has the round of rebirths as its basis or insight as its basis, Māra does not know the mind of one who has attained it. Therefore it was said - "Gone beyond the sight of the Evil One."
9.
Commentary on the Elephant Sutta
40. In the ninth, "of the forest-dwelling one" means of one dwelling in the forest. "Engaged in seeking food" means of one going for the purpose of obtaining food. "Young elephants" means great, great elephants. "Elephant calves" means young offspring. "Bent-down, bent-down" means bent down again and again and placed. "Having descended into the water" means having descended into the water landing place which received the name "ogāha" because it is to be plunged into. "Having come up from the water" means having come up from the water landing place. "Withdrawn" means having become withdrawn. Now, because the One of Ten Powers has no need for a noble elephant, but this was brought to show a corresponding person in the Dispensation, therefore, showing that person, he said beginning with "Just so indeed."
10.
Commentary on the Tapussa Discourse
41. In the tenth, "among the Mallas" means in the Mallan country. "Stay right here for now, Ānanda" means here the Blessed One said this having known "There will be a friendly conversation between the householder Tapussa and Ānanda standing here; on that account I shall teach a great exposition of the Teaching." "Approached" means he, it is said, having eaten the morning meal, while going out thinking "I shall go to attend upon the One of Ten Powers," having seen the Elder from afar, approached the Venerable Ānanda. "Renunciation appears like a precipice, that is to say, renunciation" means that which is renunciation reckoned as the going forth, that presents itself to us as if having plunged into a great precipice. "The mind springs forward towards renunciation" means the mind springs forward towards the going forth by way of object; having made that very thing the object, it becomes clear; it becomes established in that very thing; and it becomes liberated from opposing states. "Seeing 'this is peaceful'" means for monks who see thus: "This renunciation is peaceful, free from disturbance and fever." "Different from many people" means this is different for monks compared with the great multitude of people; the meaning is incomparable.
"Subject for discussion" means the basis for a talk. "For me, Ānanda, the mind does not spring forward towards renunciation" means even for him thus reflecting, my mind does not descend towards the going forth. "Seeing 'this is peaceful'" means even for one who sees "this renunciation is peaceful" by way of reflecting "renunciation is good." "Not cultivated" means not practised, not touched, not realised. "Having attained" means having attained, having reached, having realised. "Were to cultivate that" means were to practise, were to resort to that benefit. "That for me" means for whatever reason, for me. "Having attained" means having attained. "That was an affliction for me" means that is an affliction for me in the meaning of afflicting. "The mind does not spring forward towards the state without applied thought" means the mind does not spring forward by way of object towards the second meditative absorption which is without applied and sustained thought. "In applied thoughts" means in applied and sustained thoughts. The remainder is of manifest meaning everywhere.
The Great Chapter is the fourth.